Iodine intake and prevention of thyroid disorders:   surveillance is needed

Laurberg, Peter; Nøhr, Susanne B

doi:10.5694/j.1326-5377.2002.tb04424.x

Topics

The widespread application of public iodine supplementation programs, which cover about 3–4 billion people worldwide,1,2 is a response to the paucity of iodine in the natural diet in many regions of the world and the severe public health consequences of iodine deficiency.3

Aalborg Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark.

Correspondence: laurberg@aas.nja.dk

1. Assessment of iodine deficiency disorders and monitoring their elimination. A guide for programme managers, 2nd ed, WHO/NHD/01.1, WHO 2001. Available at: www.who.int/nut/documents/assessment_idd_monitoring_ eliminination.pdf (accessed March 2002).
2. International Council for the Control of Iodine Deficiency Disorders (ICCIDD) homepage: www.people.virginia.edu/~jtd/iccidd/ (accessed March 2002).
3. Hetzel BS, Dunn JT. The iodine deficiency disorders: their nature and prevention. Ann Rev Nutr 1989; 9: 21-38.
4. Laurberg P, Pedersen IB, Knudsen N, et al. Environmental iodine intake affects the type of nonmalignant thyroid disease. Thyroid 2001; 11: 457-469.
5. Phillips DIW. Iodine, milk, and the elimination of endemic goitre in Britain: the story of an accidental public health triumph. J Epidemiol Commun Health 1997; 51: 391-393.
6. London WT, Vought RL, Brown FA. Bread — a dietary source of large quantities of iodine. N Engl J Med 1965; 273: 381.
7. Li M, Ma G, Guttikonda K, et al. Re-emergence of iodine deficiency in Australia. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr 2001; 10: 200-203.
8. McElduff A, McElduff P, Gunton JE, et al. Neonatal thyroid-stimulating hormone concentrations in northern Sydney: further indications of mild iodine deficiency? Med J Aust 2001; 176: 317-320. <eMJA full text>
9. Laurberg P, Nøhr SB, Pedersen KM, et al. Thyroid disorders in mild iodine deficiency. Thyroid 2000; 10: 951-963.
10. Delange F. Disorders induced by iodine deficiency. Thyroid 1994; 4: 107-128.
11. Nøhr SB, Laurberg P. Opposite variations in maternal and neonatal thyroid function induced by iodine supplementation during pregnancy. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2000; 85: 623-627.
12. Morreale de Escobar G, Obregon MJ, Escobar del Rey F. Is neuropsychological development related to maternal hypothyroidism or to maternal hypo-thyroxinemia? J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2000; 85: 3975-3987.
13. Nøhr SB, Jørgensen A, Pedersen KM, Laurberg P. Postpartum thyroid dysfunction in pregnant thyroid peroxidase antibody-positive women living in an area with mild to moderate iodine deficiency: is iodine supplementation safe? J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2000; 85: 3191-3198.
14. Boyages SC, Halpern JP. Endemic cretinism: toward a unifying hypothesis. Thyroid 1993; 3: 59-69.

Online responses are no longer available. Please refer to our instructions for authors page for more information.